M6:2515 — فجفجی در جملهٔ دیوان فتاد / شورشی در وهم آن سلطان فتاد

Translation: A whispering in the whole court began to run, A tumult of apprehension seized the Sultan's imagination. Meaning: This verse captures the immediate psychological impact of the messenger's frantic arrival: whispers spread through the royal court, and a profound sense of foreboding settled upon the Sultan.

I contend that Mowlana, in this verse, offers us a precise and miniature portrait of collective anxiety and the contagion of apprehension. When the messenger, with such frantic haste—a haste so extreme it costs the lives of horses—arrives at court, what else can we expect but murmurs and whispers? This 'faj-faj' (whispering), as Mowlana calls it, is the initial sound of 'wahm' (apprehension or delusion); the very same 'wahm' that subsequently infiltrates the heart of the Sultan himself. The Sultan, in his position of power and presumed knowledge, is not immune to this contagion. 'A tumult of apprehension in the Sultan's imagination ran' means that a distorted suspicion, a vague and baseless fear, overwhelms him. This is not merely a report of an incident; Mowlana shows us how the human mind, from an unusual behavior (the dervish's haste), proceeds to construct terrifying narratives. In the absence of clear information, the city and the court become prisoners of imaginations that, with each passing moment, amplify the scope of fear. It is here that we perceive Mowlana's precise psychology; he is a master at depicting this 'propagation of wahm,' illustrating how it transforms from whispers among commoners and nobles alike into a deep apprehension within the Sultan himself.

Key takeaways

• The Contagion of Apprehension: How anxiety spreads from an individual to society, and then to the seat of power.
• Collective Psychology: Mowlana beautifully illustrates how, in the absence of clear information, the collective mind gravitates towards speculation and fearful imagining.
• The Power of Whispers: 'Faj-faj' (whispering) is the initiator of a 'tumult of apprehension' that can disturb even the Sultan.
• Psychological Impact of Unusual Events: An atypical behavior can rapidly destabilize systems of power and societal mindsets.